NHL Playoffs: Predictions for May 5th

Happy Cinco de Mayo. Let’s take a look at tonight’s picks, plays predictions for the NHL Playoffs.

Here are tonight’s starting goaltenders, courtesy of LeftWingLock.

#1 Stars vs #2 Blues: The Dallas Stars succumbed to the anxiety bug in Game 3 and elected to start Antti Niemi over Kari Lehtonen. And boy, did the Blues jump on him. St. Louis lit up Niemi, scoring three times on 12 shots. He was pulled just over two minutes into the second period. Lehtonen allowed three goals on 27 shots in relief.

Niemi now has been given three starts this postseason and has a 1-2 record in those games. He also was tagged for the loss in relief against the Blues in Game 2. So to recap: in four appearances, Niemi has a 3.33 goals against average and an .872 save percentage. He has allowed 11 goals on 87 shots.

By comparison, Kari Lehtonen is 4-1 with a 2.70 goals-against average and .903 save percentage in seven appearances, allowing 16 goals in 165 shots. They are not great by any means, but they are a considerable improvement. For what it’s worth, Lehtonen made about four or five very athletic, impressive saves in Game 3 when the game was far out of reach.

Lehtonen is the “likely” starter for tonight.

Twelve different skaters notched points for the St. Louis Blues in Game 3. Four players had multi-point nights. Vladimir Tarasenko was the lone player to collect three points with a goal and two assists.

The Blues went 2-for-7 on the man advantage, including what was the game-winning goal. The GWG stat does hold at least minimal weight here, seeing as the Stars did score first in the game. They are 4-for-14 this series.

The Stars went 0-for-4 on the powerplay. They are scoreless in 11 attempts on the man advantage this series.

It’s time for the media to point fingers! The new target? Stars captain Jamie Benn, who was held pointless in Game 3. Benn had a point in every game in Round 1, but has only two points that came in one game this series.

David Backes, the Blues’ captain has three goals and an assist in three games, including the overtime winner in Game 2.

So naturally, because Backes has had a good series and Benn has not kept up his torrid pace, it’s a matter of Backes “stepping up to the plate more” and Benn needing to seize the moment. Granted, the article from SportsDay Dallas linked above is more optimistic than, say, New York media’s narrative construction and coverage of Rick Nash. But the concept of Jamie Benn needing to “step up” more is a matter of converting on chances, not being set for the ‘big time.’

Dallas is now 0-4 in their last four games in St. Louis. For what it’s worth, the Stars are 4-1 in their last five games after surrendering five or more goals in the previous game.

Emotions ran high last game and the Stars will come out firing tonight, but they have to find a way to improve their powerplay without Tyler Seguin if they want to win. That is on Benn, who has been a marked man all series.

Prediction: Take the Blues to win. Play the over.

#3 Sharks vs WC 1 Predators: Nashville finally managed to fight back on home ice and secure a series victory in Game 3. After falling behind 1-0 early on, the Predators tallied four unanswered goals to win 4-1.

The powerplay finally came to life for the Preds. James Neal tied the game at 1 in the second period on the man advantage, and the game was officially put out of reach by Filip Forsberg late in the third. Nashville’s key cogs all played a vital role. Ryan Johansen, Roman Josi, Shea Weber and Mattias Ekholm all notched powerplay helpers.

The Sharks are now 1-7 in their last eight trips to Nashville, with their lone win coming in the skills competition. This is despite being the strongest road team in the league this season. In their last four trips dating back to February of 2015, the Sharks have only managed six goals. San Jose was outshot 12-9 in the third period, which they entered only trailing 2-1.

Pekka Rinne stopped 26 of 27 shots. Martin Jones faced 25 shots, stopping 21.

Prediction: Smashville has been a safe haven for the Preds. They are hungry to see a Game 6 that could decide the fate of their team, which has not escaped the second round in its young history. Take Nashville to win tonight. Play the under.